quick post from baguio.

i lost the chopstick i use to wrap my hair with; it must have fell out of my pocket somewhere in burnham. fucking a-- we went to burnham. that's the ultimate in baguio tourist behaviour for you. not that lugging camera and a tripod around will make it any less obvious that i'm a tourist. ah, but i love the fact that the weather permits me to comfortably walk around in layered clothes.

on the other hand, i was able to buy ear studs and earrings. i don't feel so naked anymore.

this afternoon, aaron and i were hanging out in SM baguio where his cousin works in a coffee shop. outside, some band were playing for a mall gig celebrating buwan ng wika (filipino language month). one singer was making small talk with the audience in between songs: "wala kayong maririnig na english words sa amin (you won't hear any english words from us)," he told the audience. aaron and i looked at each other and laughed.

sometime later, we were at the basement of SM looking at photo exhibit of early 20th century japanese settlers in baguio. it's an interesting bit of history that's probably never taught in schools, especially the way filipinos regard the japanese in relation to philippine history. on our way back to the main mall area, we saw a public payphone that was set lower that normal.

"oh, there's a phone booth for children," aaron overheard a woman tell her companions when she saw the low payphone. "ay, pang-disabled pala (oh, it's for disabled people)."

here are photos from the first 24 hours in baguio.